FAIRFIELD – The Board of Selectmen will not be whole again until a group of Democrats elected in the last election cycle meet to decide who the new first selectman should be.
The elevation of Acting First Selectman Christine Vitale to permanent first selectman cannot take place until those officials meet because Republican Selectman Brenda Kupchick (the former first selectman) would not second a vote by Vitale at a special meeting on Aug. 5. The purpose of that meeting was to vote on making Vitale permanent first selectman replacing the late Bill Gerber and consider nominations for the open selectman seat created by Vitale’s anticipated elevation.
Kupchick cited the danger of leaving the decision for an important decision in the hands of just one person – Vitale. She cited the town charter, which calls for a group of elected officials from the same party as the first selectman to make the decision if the board cannot vote.
State law – Connecticut General Statutes Section 9-222 – states that when a first selectman dies in office, the replacement must be from the same political party.
“Ms. [Brenda] Kupchick expressed her position at the last Board of Selectmen meeting,” Lisa Clair, town communications director. “Therefore, we anticipate that the Board of Selectmen’s 30-day period to fill the vacancy will expire without the vacancy being filled.”
A date for that meeting of those officials has not yet been set but it must occur within 60 days of July 15, Clair said.
“If Christine Vitale is named first selectman, that will create another vacancy on the Board for the role of Selectman, and the entire process would begin again to fill that empty seat,” Clair said in an email.
In the meantime, Clair said, “Acting First Selectman Vitale remains focused on keeping the work First Selectman Bill Gerber started moving forward and supporting our community and town employees as the process moves forward.”
Gerber, who defeated Kupchick in a very close election in 2023, died after being diagnosed with a brain tumor on July 15.
